Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to product packaging and methods of increasing advertising space on product packaging. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to a method of increasing advertising space on product containers by increasing the graphic space and apparent volume of a product container, while maintaining actual volume. Preferred embodiments include product packaging having a container with a partially or completely recessed container closure.
Description of Related Art
Product packaging is a key component of how successful a product is for a company. It allows the consumer to develop brand recognition and encourages the consumer to choose one company's product over their competitor's. The shape and the size of the container, the closure or dispenser, and the color and graphics displayed are all factors in determining how to make a product most marketable. Every year, companies spend billions of dollars designing, researching, and analyzing how products will look and how the product packaging can entice the consumer into purchasing the product.
For example, shampoo displayed on the shelves of a big box store may take up an entire aisle of shelf space and may provide hundreds of options for the consumer. Making a selection in the face of so many possible choices can be overwhelming. Thus, the consumer's ultimate choice may be affected by only a couple of factors, including the apparent volume of product for a given price or attention-grabbing graphic designs. Although a package may contain the same volume or amount of product as a competitor's package, it has been found that a shorter package with a complex shape is less likely to be selected by the consumer in favor of a taller package, such as a package with a higher aspect ratio for the front-facing panel. Likewise, consumer-connecting, aesthetically pleasing graphics are easier to provide on a package having an enlarged front-facing surface area.
When a consumer views a number of similar products on a store shelf, a deciding factor of which item they will ultimately purchase is what the value, or apparent value, of the product is. In other words, the consumer will select the product that provides the most for their money. Typically, the product that has the greater apparent volume is the one favored by the consumer, which is generally determined by the size and shape of the product container. Conventional containers, such as those used in the cosmetics industry, generally comprise a container body and some kind of cap or closure, the body of which is typically externally threaded and connects with the internally threaded cap. The volume of the packaging is typically judged by the consumer based on the container body alone without the cap or closure. This view is further emphasized by the graphic displayed on the container which is usually only disposed on the container body. The printable area of a container is typically limited to the container body and not the cap or dispenser due to current manufacturing techniques. For example, the container body and closure are usually made of different materials, by different manufacturing methods, and are usually brought together to form the product packaging once the container body is imprinted with the desired graphic. Since the graphic is not continued onto the cap, this interruption in graphic space makes the package appear smaller, and implies less product by volume even though the actual volume remains the same.
Some manufactures have attempted to increase the apparent product volume by using graphics that are disposed over the entire body and cap of a product container. This is usually achieved by a method of printing on a material other than the container itself and shrink-wrapping the printed graphic over a conventional product container and closure. Although the graphic has been extended beyond the body of the container to the cap, the consumer can still notice the distinction of where the body and the cap meet and may still judge the apparent product volume based on the container body alone, even though the graphic has been continued onto the cap.
Other manufacturers have sought different ways to increase promotional space yet still use a conventional container shape. One such example is International Patent Application Publication No. WO 2007/074953A1 entitled, “Stopper Having Handle Grip” which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. This container increases the advertising space available on the packaging by adding additional printable surface area to the cap. Although the overall promotional space available on the packaging has been increased, as compared with a packaging not having the advantage of the modified cap, the printable surface area of the container body itself remains the same as well as the aspect ratio and/or the height of the forward-facing portion of the container body (the packaging minus the cap). Thus, even with the modifications to the cap, the apparent volume of the container body does not change and the cap and container body remain separate and distinct parts of the packaging.
Some containers exist that eliminate or minimize the distinction between the container body and the cap, providing an overall more uniform container. One way to minimize the impact of the transition between the cap and the container body is to provide the cap and container body in the same or very similar colors. Monochromatic packaging tends to disguise the existence of a separate cap, but does not eliminate the distinction.
Another way to minimize the presence of a cap is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,782,999, entitled “Toothbrush Travel System,” which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. This container comprises an internally threaded container body and an externally threaded cap, however, the overall cap is provided in two parts and, in its entirety, the presence of the cap is not minimized.
From the above discussion, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for new and improved containers, when such containers greatly impact consumer choices. It is especially apparent that what is desired is product packaging having a maximized amount of advertising space as compared with conventional product packaging. Further, there is a specific need and desire for product packaging having an increased apparent volume, while maintaining the same overall packaging volume or size and/or the container body size. What is desired is product packaging comprising a container body and cap, where the cap is completely recessed within the container body such that the cap is not detectable from certain views of the product, including the front-facing view of the product displayed on a shelf for sale.